DON’T START THE MOWER (FOR UPLAND GAME BIRDS)

June 23, 2011 In The Wild No Comments

An important note to relay to all of my Nebraska farmer and rancher friends this week, and that’s this: Don’t start the mower for a few weeks! Why? It’s peak time for upland game birds like pheasants to hatch and rear their broods.

The hen and her chicks need fairly tall vegetation with a closed canopy for screening cover from predators and to find nutritious insects for the chicks to eat.

Any area of grassy cover should not be mowed or disturbed until mid-July when Mom and the young birds are able to move and escape the blades of the approaching mower.

So, park the tractor, save your fuel, and the maintenance on the mower while helping to increase the upland game bird numbers on your property by waiting a few weeks to cut the grass! You’ll be glad you did!